Aggies find way to stop Iowa State

Aggies cool off Cyclones 75-59Big second half helps A&M end 7-game win streak by Iowa State

NEIL HOHLFELD, Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Published 6:30 am, Wednesday, February 23, 2005

COLLEGE STATION - When Iowa State's Curtis Stinson scored on a layup with 15:29 left in the game Tuesday night, the Cyclones trailed Texas A&M by one point. The game had the makings of one that would be tight to the finish.

Instead, the end for Iowa State's seven-game winning streak came neither with a bang nor a whimper but with a clank. One clank after another for more than 13 minutes.

Stinson didn't score another field goal. Iowa State went a remarkable 13:31 without a field goal from anyone, missing 16 straight shots. The Aggies were aggressive on both ends of the court, beating Iowa State 75-59 before 7,401 at Reed Arena.

The Aggies held Iowa State to 22.2 percent (6-of-27) shooting in the second half and 28.6 percent (14-of-49) overall, the lowest the Cyclones have shot since 2002.

"I thought we played the best 40 minutes of defense we have this season," said Aggies coach Billy Gillispie. "That team won seven straight games in the Big 12, so you know they were one of the hottest teams around. But our guys willed themselves to a win over a really good team."

During their winning streak, the Cyclones had held teams to 39.9 percent shooting. A&M hit 50 percent overall and was 7-of-16 from 3-point range.

Joseph Jones, who played only four minutes in the first half and had two points, finished with 17 points and was 7-of-11 from the foul line. Jones was the main reason the Aggies were able to crack Iowa State's aggressive zone.

Once the ball went into Jones, he would either go to the basket and hit a layup or get fouled if left one-on-one. If the zone sagged on Jones, he would pitch it back to the perimeter.

"We knew that if we could keep Joseph in there, he'd be a factor," said forward Antoine Wright, who led the Aggies with 21 points. "I thought we did a good job against the zone because we were more aggressive.

"We were drifting a little at the end of the first half, and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again. We didn't let it happen."

Wright said the Aggies (17-7, 6-7 Big 12) were scarcely thinking about the seven-game streak the Cyclones (15-9, 7-6) brought into the game.

"We could care less about who you just beat," said Wright. "If people come in here thinking they're going to hit shots and it's all going to come together at the end, this is what's going to happen. This is the Big 12."

Stinson, who sunk then-No. 2 Kansas with an overtime jumper Saturday, had a frustrating game. He made sure the Cyclones did not end their winning streak quietly.

Stinson led the Cyclones with 15 points, but he was 6-of-16 from the field. He had a technical early in the second half and fouled out with 5:08 left in the game on an undisciplined foul in the backcourt. There was plenty of barking at the officials by Stinson and other Cyclones as the A&M lead grew.

Iowa State coach Wayne Morgan was asked what he thought caused his team's frustration.

"What do you think frustrated us?" said Morgan.

"Perhaps officiating and defense," was the answer.

"OK, good, quote him," said Morgan. "Next question."

With three conference games left, the Aggies already have matched their best-ever win total in the Big 12. In Gillispie's first season, the Aggies have improved by 10 games after going 7-21 last year. That ties San Diego for the best improvement in the nation.

The Aggies have won back-to-back games in the Big 12 for the first time since 2002. When Wright was asked about the possibility of getting to .500 in the conference with a home win over Texas Tech on Saturday, he was silenced for a while.

"That's crazy," said Wright. "(At the start of the season) I was just hoping we'd play .500. But coach Gillispie, he's believed the whole time. At first, I thought he was crazy, too. But now, we'll get ready for Tech and for the other games (at Oklahoma and Baylor) and go from there."